THE STAR TREATMENT

Tough guy De Niro likes tough Israel

Actor: Citizens need to be aggressive in their situation -- visits Western Wall

Published: 06/21/2013 at 12:07 AM

(Times of Israel) American actor Robert De Niro praised Israeli aggressiveness during a talk at the President’s Conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

“I always enjoy coming to Israel. Israelis are warm, they’re energetic people. Forthright. Very smart. I always like smart people. They’re nice people, you know. Aggressive, and I respect that aggressiveness because you need it in their situation,” he said.

The statement was akin to praise from Caesar, coming from the man who has made a career out of playing aggressive tough guys in movies from “Taxi Driver” to “Meet the Fockers.”